Considering vitamin supplements to prevent heart disease or cancer? Not so fast, USPSTF warns
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has determined that there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against the use of vitamins, mineral and multivitamin supplements to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. The group did say, however, that that there was enough evidence to rule against taking vitamin E and beta-carotene for that purpose.
The USPSTF shared these conclusions in a new draft recommendation statement on May 4. The statement, available here, is open for public comment until June 1.
“Because heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the U.S., we want to look at whether taking vitamins and minerals help prevent these important diseases,” Chyke Doubeni, MD, a family physician at the Mayo Clinic and a member of the USPSTF, said in a prepared statement. “However, there is not enough evidence to know if taking vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplements prevent these conditions, so the task force is calling for more research.”
In the same statement, another USPSTF member—John Wong, MD, a primary care clinician at Tufts Medical Center in Boston—explained why the group did feel that it could safely recommend against vitamin E and beta-carotene.
“The evidence shows there is no benefit to taking vitamin E and that beta-carotene can be harmful because it increases the risk of lung cancer in people already at risk, such as those who smoke, and also increases the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke,” Wong said.
These recommendations all apply to “healthy adults who do not have a known or suspected nutritional deficiency or special nutritional needs,” the USPSTF emphasized. Their conclusions also do not apply to people who are pregnant.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.